[AMA] Tonight I'm Flying Emirates First Class to Europe Thanks to Ozb QFF Points, with Wi-Fi All The Way

Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 07:55
Last edited 06/09/2019 - 17:34 by 1 other user

Tonight I'll be enjoying the fruits of all the time spent / wasted applying for, and cancelling, credit card deals found on OzBargain.

Flight is about 12 hours away (EK407 departing MEL @ 21:15) so I'm currently hydrating to prepare for all the champagne and whiskey ;-)

Because I'm a dedicated OzBargainer, I've just bought my Skybus ticket (with a 10% discount code) to get to the airport. Sadly the chauffeur drive option is no longer available on reward bookings.

Ask me anything… and I'll have Wi-Fi for the whole flight so I can post pics from the bar on request. Not the shower :-P

All photos here

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closed Comments

  • GangGang on 03/09/2019 - 07:59
    +16

    Would love to see the photos.

    • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 08:02
      +9

      Will be happy to oblige. Let's see how good the WiFi is :-) Actually first pic will be posted from the Qantas First lounge. I suppose their ADSL is pretty decent…

      • hogwarts on 03/09/2019 - 11:44

        Emirates wifi is actually quite good.

  • 0burntrice0 on 03/09/2019 - 08:00
    +10

    How long did it take you to work to this moment?
    Do you feel like Neil Armstrong?

    • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 08:03
      +28

      It does take a while.. this (one way flight) was 192,000 points. Given the average card offers a 60-80K signup bonus, that's a few cards right there.

  • Skramit on 03/09/2019 - 08:00
    +52

    Excellent brag post. You get a Like from me.

    • Skinnerr on 05/09/2019 - 16:26
      +4

      Not even humble, just a big brass balls brag.😂

      Love it.

      • capslock janitor on 08/09/2019 - 13:35

        I heard they will be 'devaluing' QFF pts in a recent news report?

  • mick123 on 03/09/2019 - 08:01

    How many points does it take? Did you book the flight via points or pay and then win the upgrade?
    Is it transferred from QFF/Velocity or other?

    Enjoy your trip!

    • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 08:04
      +13

      MEL->BCN one way, 192,000 points plus ~$650 in "fees", booked direct through Qantas. Not an upgrade, just a "Classic Reward" booking.

      • bmerigan on 04/09/2019 - 19:47
        +1

        Those fees are close to the price of an economy fare.

        • Mitch889 on 04/09/2019 - 20:43
          +26

          And not remotely close to a First fare, which is the point.

      • khangu on 05/09/2019 - 15:13

        That appears to be a great deal.

        Bit a noob here, but accumulating 192K qantas points… is equivalent to other rewards points? I have the Citibank card and rack up 100K points every year which I spend on a $500 Woolworths card for lack of anything else to spend it on, and I think upgrading flights might be better financially if they are the same value in terms of spend.

        Having said all that, my Citibank Signature is fee free for life, so I am not paying a cent for the rewards. If I had a get a Qantas reward card, I not sure the $400/$500 annual costs can be recouped easily.

        • bluedufflecoat on 05/09/2019 - 22:36

          Qantas Amex Discovery is free. I also have a Citi Signature free for life. If you sign up, remember to use a referral on here. ;)

          • khangu on 06/09/2019 - 06:51

            @bluedufflecoat: Thanks. Just had a quick comparison.

            The Amex is only 0.75 points per $1, plus Amex has less merchants and more fees.

            My Citi is between 1-2 points per $1 and is VISA so much more merchants and less/no fees.

            Might be worth it, but I run a lot of business spend through the card, and Amex is just not available.

            • bluedufflecoat on 06/09/2019 - 07:42

              @khangu: When you say citi is 1-2 points per dollar, you mean citi points and not velocity points right, because the conversion rate 2 citi points = 1 ff point halves that earn rate.

              So I think the free amex is still a better deal, but caveated by some businesses charging a surcharge for Amex and of course not allowing the use of it to pay their bills. Just depends on how willing you are to "work" for the points (and give yourself options between the various programs) or if you want to focus all your spending to earn on one ff program and have more points accumulated for a bigger redemption.

              • khangu on 06/09/2019 - 08:39

                @bluedufflecoat: Yes, they are citi points and aren't worth a lot. Basically have to run $60K to $70K a year through the card to get a $500 Woolworths gift card.

                The benefits and points earned and limits have gotten worse over the years since I've got it when they had the fee free for life deal.

                To be honest, in my job it's not hard to rack up the points. I could run a lot more through the card for the company and get re-imbursed but Citibank has limited how many points you can get per month. I think it's 20,000K per month at the moment.

                • bluedufflecoat on 06/09/2019 - 09:39

                  @khangu: I didn't know there was a limit. I don't usually spend $15k on my credit card a month. :)

          • awhc on 06/09/2019 - 08:19

            @bluedufflecoat: How did you get the Citi Signature free for life?

            • khangu on 06/09/2019 - 08:42
              +1

              @awhc: It was a deal on ozbargain way back in 2010 or thereabouts I think. Since then there hasn't been another.

              It's quite good for the free Priority Pass membership and travel insurance if you travel. The price guarantee is good if you can be bothered, but with the 60 days period for price drops mean you'd have to be pretty lucky to get anything out of it.

            • bluedufflecoat on 06/09/2019 - 09:37

              @awhc: What khangu said above. :)

      • dekaiser on 05/09/2019 - 22:03

        barca ehh

  • vetopower on 03/09/2019 - 08:14

    Not a bad use of points given that EK F is a great product.

    I prefer a OneWorld award in J as you get a lot more premium cabin flying for your points, but it is also a lot more hassle to book.

    Well done!

  • [Deactivated] on 03/09/2019 - 08:15
    -6

    think i would rather earn the extra dollars and pay whenever i want to go lol

    • idonotknowwhy on 03/09/2019 - 08:31
      +2

      Makes sense to me as well. But then when it comes time to actually pay for it, I'd probably settle for business class lol

    • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 08:32
      +61

      Well this one way ticket is $11,000 if you buy it for cash. I think the points + $650 is a pretty good deal!

      • dublin101 on 05/09/2019 - 16:15

        I still struggle believing these "stories" of X amount of points for first or business class.

        I just checked for Melbourne Zurich return in economy for next June/July and the best I got was 200,000 points. I understand yours was only one way but still.

        So is yours 2 separate tickets or 1 multi city ticket?

        • gimme on 05/09/2019 - 16:55

          200k for economy?? You sure you're looking at rewards flights and not just normal flights and trying to pay with FF points?

    • DingoBilly on 03/09/2019 - 20:33
      +2

      Completely agree…

      Is it a better experience? Sure. Is it $3000 worth? Probably not. You could spend an extra week or two overseas for that.

      I'd rather gain a few days over gaining 1 day but to each their own.

      • hypie on 04/09/2019 - 16:54
        +5

        Don't know how anyone could neg this. I go through this dilemma every flight as a 6"4 male with octopus legs.

        $3000 gets you a lot of fun.

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 03/09/2019 - 08:17
    +5

    Take a shower video on-board then post it up on YT, I did :p

    • [Deactivated] on 03/09/2019 - 15:09

      Are you the guy who went on a round-the-world trip in Emirates first-class using his QFF?

      • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 21:07

        Nope

      • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 21:09

        You can't actually do that (easily at least) because the RTW redemptions are Oneworld, and Emirates is not part of that.

  • Islund on 03/09/2019 - 08:22

    well bargained

  • SnowDragon on 03/09/2019 - 08:31
    +1
    • Out of all of the credit cards, did you ever pay interest?
    • How much was the minimum spend in total to get your points?
    • How has your credit rating been affected throughout?
    • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 08:35
      +15

      No, never paid any interest.

      Each card is ~$3K minimum spend, so given that it's ~2.4 cards to get 192K points it's ~$7200 minimum spend to get those points.

      No idea about credit rating, don't check & don't care. Never been rejected for a card though.

      Some cards also had annual fees also, so that adds to the total cost. Usually around the $100 mark on average with the first year offers / waivers. I'm not interested in the cards that have large annual fees.

      • SelfMade on 07/09/2019 - 10:52

        You don't care about your credit rating!? I guess you haven't brought a property during the time you've been applying for these cards. It may come back to bite you…should definitely keep an eye on it if you ever wish to buy property.

        • John Dough on 07/09/2019 - 13:06
          +1

          A credit provider also sees a bunch of applications and no bad credit (assuming no defaulting) and this shows the person is a good credit risk as they can handle credit as opposed to someone with no or very few applications they have no idea if they could handle a loan.

          They will only loan up to a certain amount for a home loan anyway (LVR) so as long as you prove you can afford the payments and don't have any defaults you will get a home loan anywhere as they just sell it on you if you screw up bad enough….

          A really good tip if you churn cards is when you close one, keep the statement or ask the bank for a receipt of card closure and keep it stored digitally, when you apply for a new card (or home loan) and they see you have a bunch of other cards, you can forward the closure statements to prove they are closed and the provider will remove them from the application - allowing higher limits and for exclusive hard to get cards it could be the difference (e.g AMEX high end cards)

          Source - I, like OP, have been gaming rewards points for >5 years and have gained >500K velocity points for next to nix and to date have never been rejected in an application. I'll only apply if there are benefits that cover the annual fee (e.g voucher, lounge passes, comp upgrade etc)

          TLDR - multiple applications for cards are not always a bad thing on your credit record so take advice from the internet with a grain of salt.

        • releasethekr4cken on 10/09/2019 - 16:23

          I read that merely applying to see your credit score impacts your credit rating negatively.

          • JohnHowardsEyebrows on 10/09/2019 - 19:29

            @releasethekr4cken: It can affect your ability to get more credit products approved automatically (ie credit cards), but most banks understand this concept of churners (I was told by my home lender it's not entirely uncommon, so long as you've not applied for a heap in the last six months - which could indicate stress).

    • p1 ama on 05/09/2019 - 10:37
      +2

      How has your credit rating been affected throughout?

      As I've applied for more cards and kept up with paying them off in full, my credit score has actually increased.

      • SnowDragon on 05/09/2019 - 11:13

        When I did my CR through Finder for the $5 voucher, it was 783/1000.

        I only have 1 CC and have always paid it off, paid a few dollars in interest by getting immediate interest somehow.

        • p1 ama on 05/09/2019 - 20:33

          783 is great!

        • John Dough on 07/09/2019 - 13:08

          Call bank and have it reversed haha (on principle!)

  • Nalar on 03/09/2019 - 08:44
    +11

    I think you should let OzB community choose your menu options for you!

    • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 08:45
      +11

      Interesting! Will post the menu when I board!

  • chickemugget on 03/09/2019 - 08:50

    Congrats! Enjoy your flight and I'm looking forward to the updates

    What's the rest of your holiday schedule looking like?

    • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 10:02
      +4

      Just staying in Barcelona for a month (I lived there for a couple of years and have quite a few good friends there).

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 03/09/2019 - 08:58

    Have you flown any other First Class airlines? If so, which one?

    • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 10:03
      +3

      Nope. Business in a few (Oman Air particularly recommended) but never First. I have been in Emirates First Class before, though.

      • TheMindsetTraveller on 03/09/2019 - 13:42

        Keep the travels up, you can't go back ;)

      • hadronox on 04/09/2019 - 21:44

        After flying first class vs business class, in future would you opt for more business class flights vs one first class flight? if so what was awesome / sub par/ not worth it

        also good stuff and thanks for posting, very informative. i am living vicariously through you!

  • meowmeowmeow on 03/09/2019 - 08:59

    This is great. We are flying to London on Qatar Airways business next year, using Qantas points. We get q suites from Doha to London.

    We've only ever flown Qantas business, also with points. Would never pay for business class unless I had that disposable income.

    I'll be keen to hear how first class is on Emirates!

    • TheMindsetTraveller on 03/09/2019 - 09:09
      +1

      First class is a completely different world against business ;)

      • meowmeowmeow on 03/09/2019 - 09:13

        Of course. It's also becoming rarer and rarer as business class improves and less people book first, so good chance to try it out before it becomes extinct!

        We could have booked Qatar first class to London but sadly didn't have enough points :(

        • TheMindsetTraveller on 03/09/2019 - 09:19
          +1

          Good point, you should try First Class out if you can especially those on the A380 planes.

          We've flown about a dozen different first class products and can say that the entire start to finish in First is soo much more effortless.

    • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 10:07
      +1

      Q Suites should be great. You did well to find availability with QFF points in those!

      There's some amazing Q Suites deals in the reverse direction; e.g. Stockholm - Adelaide return for 2290€ (~AUD3800):

      https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/premium-fare-deals/1985419-q…

      Pity out of Australia it's double that.

      • meowmeowmeow on 03/09/2019 - 10:24

        Waiting for our dates to come up to try get either Qatar or Singapore Frankfurt to Sydney on Qantas/Krisflyer points :)

      • [Deactivated] on 03/09/2019 - 12:37

        I'd be willing to pay that from Adelaide! Haha

      • Sidor on 04/09/2019 - 15:59

        for some reason the flights from Stockholm to MEL by Ethihad were dirt cheap in business when I checked them last year. From Helsinki were pretty cheap as well in JAL premium.

    • zoombie on 03/09/2019 - 11:20

      How did you book Qatar with qantas points?

      • vetopower on 03/09/2019 - 11:21
        +2

        Visit qantas.com. Qatar award availability is shown there.

        • zoombie on 03/09/2019 - 11:24

          ahh I did not know that…Thanks! When I tried to book for Europe, it just come up with emirates.

          • vetopower on 03/09/2019 - 11:25
            +1

            @zoombie: Award availability on Qatar is hard to find.

            You need to be prepared to book a year in advance as soon as award seats are released, especially for planes with Q Suites.

            • meowmeowmeow on 03/09/2019 - 11:28
              +6

              @vetopower: 361 days in advance is when they release. You need to click "flexible with dates" to get the dates more than 353 days ahead.

            • zoombie on 03/09/2019 - 11:28
              +1

              @vetopower: Qantas is such a pain! Especially when they give you false hopes. You look at the calendar and they tell you that business class is available but part of your journey is in economy (the longer part!).

              I'm trying to collect Asia miles, more airlines to choose from!

              • meowmeowmeow on 03/09/2019 - 11:31

                @zoombie: Asia Miles are supposed to be great, but slightly harder to collect in Australia right?

                I don't have any issues with Qantas, you do have to plan a year in advance and be a bit flexible though.

                • zoombie on 03/09/2019 - 11:37
                  +2

                  @meowmeowmeow: I don't have a problem with planning in advance but I just wish they don't show the part where you have to fly in economy as a business class availability. So much time is wasted on those.

                  Asia miles are not as easily available as qantas. I got an Amex card, you can transfer amex points to Asia miles on a 2:1 ratio (same as if you transfer it to qantas).

                  • meowmeowmeow on 03/09/2019 - 11:49

                    @zoombie: Yep this annoys me too, but really, you are getting a 5K+ flight for almost free, they aren't going to make it too easy.

      • meowmeowmeow on 03/09/2019 - 11:35
        +4

        You sometimes have to "force" Qantas to show Qatar availability. Search multi city flights e.g. SYD > DOH then DOH > LHR.

        If you search SYD > LHR Qatar airways doesn't show as an option, even though it is.

        As i mentioned below, 361 days in advance, by clicking "flexible with dates" to get the dates more than 353 days ahead.

  • CyberMurning on 03/09/2019 - 08:59
    +1

    Why one way ticket? Are you coming back to Australia?

    • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 10:11

      Because I haven't managed to book a points flight back yet! As everyone says, it's very difficult to get reward bookings on the dates you want.

      I'm hoping for a very last minute option once October rolls around.

      • theoracle30 on 03/09/2019 - 14:42

        Just curious, what's your back-up plan if no reward availability opens up?

        • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 14:44
          +13

          I'm pretty flexible on dates, so I'm confident I'll be able to get home, even if it's in (gasp!) economy.

          And can always buy a cash ticket if desperate ;-)

        • Minimum chips on 05/09/2019 - 10:04
          +5

          Try to get deported.

      • Sidor on 04/09/2019 - 16:02

        Classic flights return tickets are better value than x2 one way due to lower taxes charged, QFF point spent is the same though.

  • tarawa on 03/09/2019 - 09:22
    +13

    Because I'm a dedicated OzBargainer, I've just bought my Skybus ticket

    If you really are a dedicated OzBargainer, you should've chosen one of these cheaper ($4.40 with an existing myki card) options to the airport:

    -catch a metro train to Sunbury and then catch the 479 (Airport West) public bus and get off at Melbourne Airport
    -catch a metro train to Broadmedows (craigieburn line) and then catch 901 public bus to Melbourne Airport
    -catch Tram 57 to Airport West at Flinders Street Station or Melbourne Central (elizabeth st), get off at the last stop, walk(approx 150 meters) to bus stop (near the shopping center) with all your luggage , catch the next 478 or 479 bus to Melbourne Airport

    • vetopower on 03/09/2019 - 09:26
      +26

      A true OzBargainer would walk.

      • Bargain-Man on 03/09/2019 - 18:56
        +6

        Imagine booking First Class flights and then going to the airport by walking!

        • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 19:39
          +2

          I would totally do that. As an aside, I have walked to an airport to catch a flight once. Bocas del Toro in Panama. Was a pretty cool experience. You even had to cross the runway to reach the "terminal".

          • Maxxjet on 04/09/2019 - 11:23

            @z0s0: Shouldn't they send a "Chauffeur" to pick you up ( seriously) ?

          • JohnHowardsEyebrows on 05/09/2019 - 19:04

            @z0s0: Yeah, but it doesn't count when it's a light airfield.

            • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 05/09/2019 - 22:52

              @JohnHowardsEyebrows: Well it was a 727 or similar flying to Panama City that we caught, so don't think I'd call it a light airfield!

          • camtraband on 08/09/2019 - 07:51

            @z0s0: Billy Bishop airport in Toronto! I've walked there before!

    • dasher86 on 03/09/2019 - 10:04
      +1

      Don't forget you ozbargained tactical stab proof vest.

    • Associatedz0s0 @ Emirates on 03/09/2019 - 10:07

      True. I could cycle also, the bike paths to the airport are quite good actually :-)

      I can walk to the skybus though, so it wins for convenience.

      • ely on 03/09/2019 - 21:06

        The bike paths close to the airport are good (Moonee Ponds Creek Trail) but the last few km look a bit crap.

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